Students in some North Texas Schools are still without a teacher... as districts work around the clock to fill remaining vacancies.
The job is tougher this year as there are fewer teachers to go around across the entire country.
Garland ISD is pulling out all the stops, holding weekly job fairs, trying to get more teachers in the classroom.
Several North Texas districts report some classes, without a permanent teacher assigned to them.
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"It is an unusually high number of teachers we are needing, it's not the same as two years ago pre-COVID," said Alex Rivera, Recruiting Coordinator for Garland ISD.
What we're seeing in North Texas is not unusual. The National Education Association said nationally there's a teacher shortage in the U.S.
"This is a crisis if you don't have enough teachers to teach the students, we're never going to experience the kind of success as an economy and a vibrant society and experience the success students deserve," said Kim Anderson, Executive Director, National Education Association.
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From increasing pay and finding incentives... to being creative with how they schedule classes, schools are doing all they can to make it work.
In Garland, they're trying to get by with substitute teachers currently, but even that has been a struggle.
"We have as many as 1,000 subs on our register but trying to get them to work has been a struggle, and I'm hearing that from my colleagues in neighboring districts as well," said Rivera.
Schools are being more flexible on certifications, asking those with interest to reach out. Garland ISD has information on their hiring process here.
